Esmeralda Mario San Jose is our favorite Mario lot. We found this year's Mario San Jose to have a sweet sugar cane, jasmine and apricot on the nose and a variety of stone fruit (pomegranate, honeydew melon) in the cup. Overall, it offers a distinct sweet acidity and syrupy body that creates a balanced cup.

Esmeralda Special comes from the area known as Mario, in the growing region Jaramillo. San Jose prefers to the best-known patron Saint of the province, and his celebrated day is March 19th.

The Peterson Family has won countless first place prices in national cupping events, their geisha varietal coffee is world renowned - gaining Hacienda Esmeralda top honors. Mario San Jose comes from a part of the estate located in high altitude above the creek.

As mentioned before, Hacienda La Esmeralda is the holder of online coffee auction records, once when it sold for $21 dollars a pound on June 29th, 2004, again on May 30, 2006 when it sold for $50.25 a pound and in May 2007 when it sold for $130 a pound and this year was no different.